Simone Biles’ boyfriend posts tribute to her ‘strength and courage’

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Simone Biles‘ NFL star boyfriend Jonathan Owens has spoken out to praise the gymnast’s ‘strength and courage’ amid her ongoing battle with ‘petrifying’ mental issues that could end her Olympic dreams once and for all. 

The 26-year-old Houston Texans player took to Instagram on Thursday night to post a touching tribute to his sports star girlfriend, shortly after she watched on from the sidelines as the all-around gold medal she was widely expected to win was claimed by her 18-year-old teammate Sunisa Lee. 

‘Imma ride with you through whatever baby,’ he wrote, while sharing a slideshow of images of himself and Biles. ‘Your strength and courage is unmatched and you inspire me more and more everyday SB.’ 

He added that Biles, who chose not to defend her Olympic all-around title in order to ‘focus on her mental health’, having dropped out of the team final after one event for the same reason, will ‘always be his champ’. 

‘You always gone be my champ baby and don’t you ever forget that, I love you so much and I can’t wait till you come home and i get to see that beautiful smile again,’ he continued. ‘You know I’m always here for you baby.’ 

Owens delivered his heartfelt message of support from Houston, where he is currently attending his team’s training camp, while Biles continued to grapple with her mental health struggles thousands of miles away in Tokyo. 

Not long after the football pro shared his gushing tribute – which included several sweet photos of the couple together – Biles shed some light on the ‘petrifying’ mental struggles that prompted her to withdraw from both the team and all-around finals, and could well cause her to pull out of the other individual medal events that she has qualified for. 

Early on Friday morning, the gymnast shared video footage from a training session, in which she is seen crashing to the mat while executing a dismount on the uneven bars – explaining that the risky error was caused by her struggle with the ‘twisties’, a mental phenomenon that causes gymnasts to feel as though they are ‘lost in the air’. 

Viewers were invited to witness a training calamity, which was filmed in a gym in Tokyo, and which is certain to leave Team USA officials pondering whether Biles should quit the Olympics and fly home to take care of her health. 

The four-time Olympic gold medalist also did a question-and-answer session for her followers, during which she laid bare her current below-standard ability, and gave her strongest hint yet that she is not prepared to take part in the finals for uneven bars, balance beam, floor exercise, and vault.

In her Instagram video, Simone is seen going through her routine on the uneven bars during training – however when she performs her dismount, which requires her to twist her body around in the air, she failed to land on her feet and instead crashed to the mat, falling flat on her back.

Biles’ usual dismount – a double twisting somersault – requires her to complete two twists in the air before landing on her feet, facing away from the bars.

However, in one of the videos that she posted, the gymnast only managed to complete half of a twist, before plummeting to the mat and landing flat on her back. A second clip showed her completing one-and-a-half twists, before making the same crash landing.

Such a fault which would cost her heavily in points in Olympic competition if she were to resume her dreams of adding to the four golds and one silver she secured in Rio five years ago.

The twisties can also result in serious injury, leaving gymnasts unable to spot their landing correctly and therefore leaving them at risk of a dangerous fall.

Speaking about the struggle with the issue in the caption of her videos, Biles hit out at those who have criticized her decision to withdraw from both the team and all-around finals, insisting that she did not ‘quit’, while noting that mental health is just as serious as physical health.

‘For anyone saying I quit. I didn’t quit, my mind and body are simply not in sync,’ she wrote.

‘As you can see [in the video]. I don’t think you realize how hard this is on hard/competition surface.

‘Nor do I have to explain why I put health first. Physical health is mental health.’

In a second caption, Biles explained that she had not been experiencing the twisties before traveling to Tokyo, and she hit out at those who suggested that she should have removed herself from competition before it started – insisting that by the time she started struggling, it was too late for an alternate to replace her.

The football star’s latest message came just one day after he took a swipe at critics who have accused the gymnast of ‘quitting’ and ‘abandoning’ her team by posting a quote from baseball legend Babe Ruth, which said, in part: ‘The loudest boos will always come from the cheap seats.’  

Although Owens, who is currently taking part in his team’s training camp ahead of the start of the NFL season, did not tag his girlfriend, the timing of the post – which came in the wake of Biles’ shock decision to pull out of the team final – made clear its intent. 

Biles sparked furious controversy on Tuesday when she suddenly withdrew from the team final after making a surprise error on her first event, later revealing that she made the decision to pull out of a desire to prioritize her mental health – and out of fear that her performance could prevent her teammates from winning a medal. 

Owens’ post made clear his thoughts on the subject, with the quote continuing: ‘People who invest the least in you will have the most to say about you.

‘Trust your work and keep your circle tight!’ 

The picture quote was shared just hours after Biles made the sensational decision to pull out of the team final, following a very uncharacteristic on vault, which was the team’s first event in the competition.